"Thus, many lower-class
Suphanburians [สุพรรณบุรี] avoid drawing a causal connection between their
poverty and Banharn's [บรรหาร
ศิลปอาชา / 马德祥,
1932 - ] failure to industrialize the province.
Instead, these people, especially farmers, blame their poverty on
the factors that have little to do with Banharn, such as:

vagaries of the weather
or natural disasters (e.g., flood, drought, and crop diseases);

"This
is not just regular entertainment at the concert. It is the
battlelines for Thai culture. . . . The red shirt group has a lot of
music and . . . many melodies. We have international and local and
village music. We use this music to reach the people (the poor). And
we use it to get the response from the middle class There used to be
yellow shirt musicians. Now the interest is not there and they are
not producing new songs anymore. .. Yellow shirts musicians need to
go back to playing the old music of the am mat to persuade people to
feel loyalty to the monarchy."

"Firearms proliferation in Thailand demonstartes in
a 2002 study that there were 20,032 of firearms homicide cases, one of the
highest in the world.[1] Thailand
is located in the centre of Southeast Asia and is bordered by the Gulf of
Thailand, with Malaysia to the South, Andaman Sea to the West, Burma and Laos to
the North and Cambodia and Laos to the East. As of July 2011, Thailand has a GDP
(PPP) of $586.9 billion (2010 est.) and a population of 66,720,153.[2]

The number of guns held by civilians in Thailand is
estimated to be 10,000,000, which puts the country at eleventh in world rankings
for number of guns held. Out of these 10,000,000 guns, only 3,870,000 of them
are registered, leaving over 6,000,000 under illegal possession.[3]
In 2000, it was reported that there were 20,032 of firearms homicide cases, one
of the highest in the world.[4]

One of the largest contributing factors to this social
problem is the rise of armed conflict, injuries and death in the southern part
of Thailand. Unlike the rest of the Buddhist-dominated provinces in Thailand, it
has been noted that the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, with a
population of over 80% Muslim inhabitants, has witnessed significant insurgency
and rebellion since 2004.[5] It is
believed that the alleged insurgents responsible for the attacks and state
demands, are trying to fight for an independent Islamic state.[6]

Casualty Rates

Although Thailand’s total homicide rate has decreased from
10.0 to 5.9 per 100,000 population from 2003 to 2008[7]
,it was reported in 2010 that in the last 6 years, deaths due to armed conflicts
in this area has resulted in more than 4,000 loss of lives.[8]
Additionally, it has been reported that between 2004 to 2008, there has been
approximately 6892 related casualties.[9]

Socio-Economic Effects

The Geneva Declaration, in its Global Burden of Armed
Violence 2008, reported that the aggregate loss in GDP due to violent deaths is
estimated to be US$5,503million in Thailand. Correspondingly, the direct medical
costs of interpersonal violence in 2005 amounted to approximately USD 40.3
million (THB 1.3 billion). Indirect medical costs were an order of magnitude
higher at USD 432.7 (THB 14.4 billion).[10]

As a protective measure, the Thai government has
encouraged 100,000 civilians to join armed groups in order to ensure greater
security in the region. This has been widely criticized by the global body for
aggravating the violent situation through the proliferation of arms. Since the
alleged insurgents were believed to be Muslims, this has caused a deep rift
between the Buddhists and the Muslims. In June 2009, 11 Muslims were shot dead
by gunmen while praying at the al-Furqan mosque in Narathiwat province, fueling
the worry that some Buddhists are moving towards vigilante justice.[11]

Current Efforts

The Thai government has sent nearly 70,000 security forces
for the 1.7 million population to protect and fight insurgency.[12]
It has also committed itself to the decision of adopting, supporting and
implementing the United Nation’s Programme of Action to combat, prevent and
eradicate illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (SALW).[13]
Nonviolence International South East Asia (NVISEA), a not-for-profit Non
Governmental Organisation, is currently operating its Ending Armed Violence
Program in the country.[14]"